ELARD launches letter campaign to safeguard LEADER/CLLD in post-2027 EU budget
The European LEADER Association for Rural Development (ELARD) launched on 17 November a letter campaign urging Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and Committee of the Regions (CoR) to reinforce the LEADER/CLLD method within the next EU budget cycle. Stakeholders are encouraged to engage with local MEPs and CoR representatives to ensure that LEADER/CLLD remain protected and properly funded.
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The campaign responds to structural changes in the proposed EU funding architecture – including the shift towards National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs) – which risk diluting the focus on LEADER/CLLD among competing priorities. ELARD sets out concrete amendments to the post-2027 EU budget proposal.
ELARD’s asks
ELARD calls for the upcoming 2028-2034 EU budget and legislative framework to explicitly uphold the LEADER/CLLD approach as a core instrument for rural development. It urges that LEADER/CLLD be granted a dedicated, minimum allocation set at the EU level.
Additionally, ELARD calls for ensuring broad eligibility for all rural actors, expanding the scope of LEADER interventions to cover services, infrastructure, social innovation and youth, and guaranteeing that CLLD is applied not only under CAP, but also across cohesion, social and maritime policies. ELARD’s recommendations further include recognition of LEADER contributions to EU social objectives, consistent use of simplified financing tools, clearer alignment between LEADER and CLLD rules, and the restoration of Local Action Groups’ strategic competences.
The Association calls on MEPs and CoR representatives to act as champions for rural territories by publicly supporting the proposed regulatory amendments. As decision-makers prepare legislative votes, the letter campaign seeks to ensure that LEADER/CLLD remains a robust and effective instrument for rural development across the EU.
What stakeholders are invited to do
ELARD encourages rural networks, LAGs, local authorities, civil-society organisations, and rural practitioners to actively mobilise – particularly by engaging with their national MEPs and CoR members to support ELARD’s legislative proposals. Stakeholders are invited to download ELARD’s open letter and legislative amendment proposals, adapt them if needed, and send them to their representatives, emphasising the local impact of LEADER/CLLD in rural areas.
Additionally, ELARD calls on stakeholders to help raise awareness about the importance of LEADER/CLLD by organising local meetings, briefings or stakeholder events – ensuring that rural voices remain visible and heard during the EU budget negotiations ahead.